


Only Fools Rush In

by fionnabhair



Series: Suspicious Minds [2]
Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 03:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15039791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fionnabhair/pseuds/fionnabhair
Summary: An epilogue to You Were Always On My MInd - the big day is coming.





	Only Fools Rush In

He was still getting to used to waking up beside Amy every morning - in a really good way. 

When he first moved into the town house, it had been…quiet, every morning, and still - he’d come home at night and feel strangely disappointed that everything was exactly how he’d left it. 

He’d bought it for _them_ , for Amy and Emily and him to live in together, and somehow, it didn’t feel like a home until they were there, it was just yet another place he stayed between campaign stops.

And it didn’t hurt to have Amy waking him up early on Sunday mornings for sex. 

She’s so… _soft_ like this, her eyes still drowsy and her hair mussed up around her head, the very slight pooch of her pregnant stomach becoming visible as she rides him.He lets his hands roam all over her, touching her sides, her belly, and sliding lower down when he can.

He comes first, which is unfortunate, and while he’s catching his breath, Amy leans over to check her phone.When he tries to take it out of her hand, she swats him away, saying, “You’re going to need a minute.”

She’s right, which is annoying, and he’s about to say so, when they hear a wail from outside their door.Emily does _not_ like it when she encounters a closed door, and so Dan stumbles out of bed to let her in.(At some point they’re going to try to make her stay in her own bed until a civilised hour of the morning, but it isn’t worth the headache right now).

He lies back down, balancing Emily on his chest, and asks Amy, “Anything I should be worried about?”

“No,” she says, still scanning her phone screen, “Just Marwood’s usual… nonsense.”

He snorts, and reaches out a hand to stroke her shoulder, “Sorry about - you know.”

Amy rolls her eyes at him.“It’s not your fault she can’t live without attention.You can make it up to me later.”

“Fine by me,” he says, “Want to sit on my face?”Amy starts and he tickles Emily’s stomach, trying not to grin too obnoxiously.“You’ve never done that before, have you?”

“Well, _no_ ,” Amy says, looking uncomfortable, “But I’m…”Her hand slides down to her stomach, perhaps unconsciously, as she continues.“Wouldn’t that be too, I mean I’m getting…bigger now.”

“Yeah,” he says, poking her, “You now weigh as much as two fruit flies.Relax Amy, for fuck -”

“Dan!I have to take her for brunch with my parents, remember?”

“Please,” he says, tickling Emily again, “After Sophie’s delinquents I think they can manage a little swearing.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I know, I know,” he says, (he’s pretty good at not-swearing in front of Emily, it just slipped out).   “Sorry.”

“Oh, whatever,” she says, still annoyed with him, “You’re good to pick her up later?”

“Yeah,” he says, “Even if Jonah’s completely catastrophic, we’ll be done by one at the latest, so…”

“If?Since when are you optimistic?”

“The whole _point_ is for him to screw up, remember?”

(It had been his plan - give Jonah enough rope to well and truly hang himself, thus giving Tom good reason to ban him from all future media appearances.And, longer term, an excuse for BKD to be absorbed into the White House proper, or to start working with non-train wreck clients).

“Speaking of which, I better get dressed.”

When he sits up, Emily crawls off him and over to Amy, nestling in against her mother with her thumb in her mouth.Amy strokes her hair, saying “Maybe she’ll go back to sleep for an hour or two, that’d be easier.”

“Yeah,” he says, “Maybe.”

Emily looks supremely contented, her eyes drifting closed as Amy strokes her hair, and for a moment, he’s very tempted to crawl back into bed with them (it’s not like Jonah needs help to fuck up).

He has a quick shower and gets dressed, enjoying the way Amy watches him, with a kind of lazy appreciation.She reads him the morning headlines as he searches for his cufflinks. so he knows she’s not annoyed with him, for all she seems grumpy when he bends to kiss her. 

“Not looking forward to wedding dress shopping, I take it?”

“I’m not a fucking peacock,” she says, “I should have just bought something off the internet.”

“We talked about this,” he says, “And isn’t this Sue’s guy?He’ll have you fitted out in five minutes.”

“We could have just gone down to the courthouse like I wanted, we could have done it over lunch,” she says, “There’s no need for any of this circus, we don’t even know if anyone will come, so -”

“She’s going to say yes.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Ames,” he says, wheedling and kissing her cheek, “You know it’s the right thing to do.Having a couple of pictures of you as the blushing bride is going to be good for us long term.Look at Candi Caruso - she had a picture in the Washington Post Style -”

“Don’t talk to me about Candi Caruso,” Amy says, trying to sound furious _and_ whisper, which doesn’t really work.“And she wasn’t four months pregnant when she got married, so it’s not the same.”

“No,” he says, “It just means you’ll be hotter in your pictures.Now, go back to sleep, and I’ll see you after Jonah has committed hari-kari on tv.”

“Yeah,” she says, “Try not to piss off my Dad too much when you pick her up.”

“I make no promises,” he says, and leaves.

He knows where this is coming from. 

Ever since he’d come up with his plan for the wedding - and it was a _good_ plan, Amy admitted that - she’d been twitchy as fuck.Not in a way that made him worry she was going to leave again, but noticeably…unsettled. 

She didn’t want to talk to Selina again.

Or, not exactly.She spoke to Selina fairly often, naturally, in the course of her job, but… but that wasn’t the same thing at all.

Which is why, after Jonah’s shuttle-crash of an interview, and the subsequent summoning to the White House for a stern dressing down, Dan makes his way to Selina Meyer’s Arlington mansion.

She actually seems glad to see him, though whether that’s because he interrupts a facetime with Catherine and Marjorie he doesn’t know.By all reports she was enjoying her time as Secretary of State, with a whole new staff to bully and endless opportunities to look glamorous in the international press.He’s hoping this will put her in a good mood.

“Dan,” she says, “I hope you’re not looking to be hired for my communications team, because after that performance this morning -“

“It’s all part of the plan, ma’am,” he says, “We have to sideline Jonah somehow.”

“That does sound like something Tom would do.What do you want?”

He doesn’t bother pretending it’s just a social call, just dives in, “Amy’s going to ask you to be her witness.We’re not doing a whole bridesmaid church bullshit, but we do need someone to sign, and we both think it should be you.”

“Well why isn’t the little traitor here herself?”

“Oh, she’s going to ask you in person,” he says, “She’s just…She thinks you’re going to say no, and I know you won’t.”

“Why?” Selina says, pretending not to understand him (which… she’s already agreed - no, demanded - to come to the wedding, so the pretence is ridiculous).

“Because Tom’s agreed to be _my_ witness.”

“You didn’t ask, I don’t know, your brother or someone?”

“No,” he says, amused at the thought.“And I’m pretty sure he’d say no anyway.Think about it - you and Tom, together with the happy couple - what better way to demonstrate that all the hatchets have been buried.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Selina says. 

“Not to mention, it’ll show that _you’_ re the one with intimate access to the President, the one he listens to, not Jonah.”

“And what do you get out of this, nothing?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he says, “Picture like that could easily go viral, and that kind of exposure…”

There’s a pause for a moment, and then Selina says, “Where are you planning to run?”

“I have a few districts in mind, but… nothing’s fixed as yet.”

“And Amy’s completely down for this, being your little political wifey?”

“She’s…coming round to the idea.”

Selina stares at him for a moment, and then stands and walks to the fridge.She takes out a jug of sweet tea and pours herself a glass, before saying, “So you two really are doing this?Dan Egan the married man.”

“It took some convincing,” he says, “But I got there eventually.”

“Leon can’t have fucked her up too badly then.”Selina rolls her eyes at his expression.“Trust me, as long as you’re not too much of a dick about it, she’ll be fine.People have gotten over much worse.”

“That’s not - if I ever see him again I’m going to -”

“Get in line fuckface.If it wasn’t for Leon, _I’d_ be President right now.”

“Yeah,” Dan says, “That’s why she’s nervous.”

“Really?”Selina says.“Good.She should be.”

“Ma’am, even if you are still pissed at her, just the appearance of it being smoothed over will -”

“Calm down,” she says, waving a hand at him.“Of course I’ll sign the damn thing for you - this whole wedding wouldn’t even be happening if it wasn’t for me.You know she _begged_ me not to hire you, back in the day.”

“I assumed.”

“I believe her exact words were ‘the biggest bastard in DC’ - you had a _lot_ of ground to make up.”

“Well,” he shrugs.“She’s going to ask you tomorrow night at the state dinner thing with Japan.”

“All right,” Selina says, “I’ll tell Gary to make some space for her.How’s your brat?”

They chat for a few minutes more about Emily - who Selina describes as his ‘fucking clone’ - and then her phone rings, and Selina’s face lights up.

“The President’s calling.”

He takes that as his cue to leave. 

He has to answer a call from Jonah, who’s venting about Tom and being banned from media appearances, and try though he might, Dan really struggles at pretending to give a fuck.In many ways it’s a relief from Jonah’s repeated hints that he should give a speech at the wedding (over Dan’s dead body). 

Once he’s off the phone, he drives to Amy’s parents’ house.As usual, her Mom is thrilled to see him, and even offers to make him a sandwich (which is more than welcome, after a busy morning dealing with Jonah), and her Dad…well they have a gentleman’s agreement now.Amy’s Dad was never going to _like_ Dan, but he tolerated him, tried to make his presence in the family reasonably easy.It’s better than having Amy run off to Nevada, after all.And having Amy’s parents around to babysit is even more help than he’d anticipated, so it’s worth keeping them sweet.

Emily is so pleased to see him she practically _bounces_ , running over to him on unsteady legs and holding her arms out, wanting to be picked up, the moment he enters the house.She’s like Amy that way, her emotions large and stormy, always painted in bright colours on her face.

She babbles about Giselle (because Emily’s favourite thing is following her cousin Giselle around, no one knew why), and pulls at his hair, and Dan lets her sit on his knee while he eats and talks to Amy’s Mom. 

She’s excited about the wedding - too excited, it’s been driving Amy crazy - so Dan indulges her by answering questions and assuring her that Amy doesn’t need help to pick out a wedding dress, and so on and so forth.

He uses the opportunity to get their agreement that they will take Emily for the weekend after the wedding, meaning they’ll be able to have a honeymoon.Kind of.

They both wanted to be married and properly settled into everything well before the baby came, which had made scheduling the actual ceremony something of a challenge. 

Congress had a recess in March, which made things a little easier, but as Tom was using the time to fly to the G7, it meant neither of them was able to take time off immediately after the wedding.They were getting married on the Saturday, and then flying to Paris for the conference on the Tuesday afternoon, which was due to last all day on the Wednesday and Thursday.Taking time away _before_ the conference was impossible, but Dan had been able to swing it so they could take a few days at the end, seeing Paris together, before flying back to DC on the Sunday evening and going straight to work from the airport.

They’ll see the landmarks and take some photos, he’ll take Amy to some patisseries and maybe buy a new suit or two, and all in all, they’re going to look like the very picture of a deeply in love couple.Image management is key.

Speaking of which, he gets Sophie’s oldest kid to take a photo of him and Emily - to send to his mother, and, more pertinently, his Instagram account. 

And then he goes home, and splits the afternoon between playing with Emily and talking to Jonah on the phone (he’s starting to warm to the idea of letting Jonah marry Shawnee Tank after all - she might be a leech, but at least she’d keep him from sucking up all of Dan’s time).

Amy arrives home shortly before seven, collapsing onto the sofa beside him with a groan. 

“I hate shopping,” she says, in between kisses from Emily.

“You don’t have a bag.”

It seems ominous.

“No,” Amy says, “I don’t, they - they have to make some alterations, so I’ll pick it up next week.Sue’s guy is terrifying.”

“Yeah?”

“He took one look at me and… he has a whole _style_ in mind, he found someone for make-up and hair and everything.”

“Is that _bad_?”

“No, I hate that stuff, you know that, it’s just a bit… he reminded me of Gary, only masculine, it was weird.”

“So what’s the style then?”

“It’s kind of…vintage, I guess?With a high waist,” she says, pointing, “So my belly won’t -”

“It’s not like you’re showing now.”

“It’s in four weeks Dan, I could be the size of a fucking house by then.”

“I do remember what you were like at four months.”

Amy rolls her eyes without even looking at him.“I bet you do.”

“I’m just saying - it was a good look on you.”

“You only said that because -”

“Because I wanted to finger-bang you in the back of your car?”

She puts her hands over Emily’s ears.“Don’t be gross.”

“She doesn’t know what it means yet.And I’m just saying - we would have done a _lot_ more than that if it was up to me.”

Amy looks exasperated.“You do remember that that same night you hooked up with - it wasn’t _my_ fault we didn’t -”

“Well, we got here in the end.”

It’s later that evening - after she’s put Emily to bed - that he asks her the question he’s been wanting to ask for… for months, if he’s honest.Maybe it’s what Selina had said, maybe it’s something else, but he _needs_ to know.

Amy’s sitting on the bed, taking off her shoes, when he rests his hand on her shoulders.“Ames,” he says, “What we talked about before -”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you only have sex with me again right after Leon - after that.”

She looks over her shoulder at him.“Do you really want to do this now?”

There’s a slightly dangerous tone in her voice, but he keeps going.“Look at from my point of view.”

“Why?What does it matter?”

He gets closer to her, not quite nuzzling her neck.He can feel the tension in her body.“It matters to me.I could have _hurt_ you, without knowing it, because I didn’t know that -“

“No,” Amy says, “You couldn’t.”

“I wouldn’t have meant to, but -”

“And it would never have happened, so I don’t know what you’re worrying about.”

“Amy, come on -”

“It wouldn’t.You would _never_ …do you think for one minute that I would _ever_ have let you touch me, _ever_ , even before I really knew you, if I thought you would -”

“Even when you thought I was the biggest bastard in DC?”

“I still think that,” she says, “But I know that you would _never_ \- I’m done talking about this.”

She walks into the bathroom, and he hears her turn the shower on, slightly to his surprise.When he follows her, he finds her taking her make-up off, the _angriest_ make-up removal he’s ever seen.

He leans his hip against the doorjamb.“You’re showering now?”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t we… have plans?Like, you might want to shower afterwards plans?”

“Yeah, well, talking about Leon didn’t really put me in the mood.”

“Okay.”

“I _hate_ talking about this stuff, you know that.”

He holds his hands up in apology.“All right.I’m sorry.”

“Sure you are.”

“I just want to know… look, Ames, did it help?”She gives him a questioning look.“When we - did it help?”

There’s a moment when she looks like she doesn’t want to answer, but she takes a deep breath and says, “Yes.And it wasn’t _right_ after, either, it was… It helped.”

“That’s all I wanted to know.”

“You could have just said that.”

“Yeah well - enjoy your shower.”

He slaps her on the ass and leaves her alone - he gets the feeling she needs a minute.

When she comes to bed, at long last, Amy doesn’t say much, but she curls into his side, smelling of tooth paste and her shower gel.There’s a pause, and then she says, “I think my Dad is starting to hate you just a little bit less.”

“Let’s wait until _he_ meets _my_ Dad before saying that.”

Amy snorts, a little, and settles into him more comfortably.“I told you we should have just eloped.”

“And deny Mrs Brookheimer her big day?I’m trying to make them like me, remember?”

“Good luck.”

The next day is furiously busy, and he doesn’t even see her until he arrives at the State Dinner, and even then…they’re seated at different tables, and he’s so busy trying to ensure Jonah doesn’t insult an entire country, that he loses track of her. 

Just as Tom is standing up to toast the Japanese Prime Minister, he gets a text from Amy that says, “As soon as the glasses are down, meet me in the green bathroom.”

He tries not to smirk - it’s not exactly fitting for the occasion - and put the phone back in his pocket.

The moment he opens the door, Amy is _on_ him, dragging him closer and working to undo his belt before he’s even said anything.When he lifts her onto the sink she grins at him and says, “I already took them off.” 

“Very clever,” he says, pushing her skirt up over her hips, “Now stop talking.”

Afterwards, when they’ve caught their breath, he asks her, “What brought this on?”

“Well,” Amy says, stroking his beard, the one she’s so fond of, “I talked to Selina like you said and… she’s going to do it, and it’s like I realised it’s actually happening.We’re getting _married_.To each other.”

“I bought you that ring two years ago and it’s only sinking in _now_?”

She giggle-snorts then, touching her nose with one finger and shrugging just a little.“Yeah.Sorry.”

And then they’re both laughing, holding each other up as they shake with it, and probably sounding mildly deranged to anyone listening.

“It’s going to be a complete shitshow,” Amy says, straightening his tie.

“We’ve had worse.”

“Let’s just make sure we keep Sophie away from _Jonah_.”

“She wouldn’t -”

“The Vice-President of United States of America, the one who keeps insisting that I used to date him…”

“She would,” Dan says, and has a realisation, “On the other hand, that might be enough to torpedo his career permanently, so -”

“I’m not having anything to do with it,” Amy says, “We should get back.”

“Shame.”

“Oh, we’re not done,” she says, smoothing down her skirt.“Once we get home, I believe you said something about - ”

“In that case…let’s get the fuck out of here.”

She kisses him, quickly, and says, “Once the dinner is over - I have to check in with Tom before I go.”

“All right,” he says, and takes a moment to appreciate the view as he watches her leave.

 

* * *

 

 

Selina doesn’t enjoy weddings.She certainly hadn’t enjoyed her own - her mother had made sure of that - and she barely remembered Catherine’s.

So, she can’t say she’s feeling any particular anticipation as she dresses for the wedding of Dan Egan and Amy Brookheimer.The whole thing makes her feel so very, very old.

But there’s an opportunity to change the conversation, to show the world that she was more than a sexual-harassment-tolerating abuser of pregnant women. 

The taint of that is probably the aspect of the whole Leon West scandal that pisses her off the most.She’d never got the _chance_ to do anything about it, so why did everyone think…

She’s been torn about by the press too many times to count, but the feeding frenzy that had ensued after Tom dropped his little bomb still rankled.Or, to be more honest, it wasn’t what the press said that really bothered her… it was the way so many of her supposedly loyal team had just _assumed_ that Tom was right, that Amy was right, that she would have let sexual harassment continue right under her nose, wouldn’t even have cared. 

Selina mostly doesn’t care if people have a bad opinion of her, but for them to have it over something she would never, not in a million years, _never_ have done… well, it’s been more than a year, and it can still leave her seething if she thinks about it for too long.

The wedding itself is fairly low-key, which is a blessing.She doesn’t have to walk down the aisle or any of that nonsense, just stand and sign her name when she’s called - which means she has plenty of time to look around and critique the guests.

Amy’s parents look like the smug suburban stereotypes she always thought they were, and Dan’s… Dan’s are far more WASPy than any pair of black-Irish wannabe New Yorkers have a right to be.It’s relatively small, all told - a few friends from college, Dan’s brother, Amy’s array of nieces and nephews, the President of the United States of America and his Secret Service detail.

Tom had strolled in two minutes before the ceremony began, shaking hands with the parents and gushing about how _pleased_ he is to be here.They fall for it, obviously.

It’s…odd seeing him in the flesh like this - they’ve been talking every week, long phone calls on Sunday evenings and quick ones on Tuesday mornings and everything in between, one single, long conversation stretched over weeks and months. 

They never talked this much before, not even when they were working together in the Senate.

The service, or whatever it’s called, is fast, thankfully, and then they have to pose for pictures, and Selina is _pining_ for a glass of something cold and a canapé.Still, she’s a professional, and she keeps a smile on her face all the way through.

Amy had opted for a kind of 1940s wedding gown, and it was only when Selina was standing right beside her that she realised why. 

Little Miss Brookheimer was knocked up all over again - which explained the rush to the altar.(Not that Selina’s judging, christ no, it was a relief if anything.Left to themselves, there’s an even chance of Dan and Amy burning down DC, so if something was forcing them to grow the fuck up at long last, all the better). 

She wonders if Tom knows.

There’s some ceremony and some speeches and some food, all of which are a lot more tolerable once she’s settled in at her table with Ben and Kent.(Tom has to duck out at one point to deal with something Presidential, which gives her a _pang_ … and then she remembers that she’s flying to Cape Towntomorrow, for a quick meeting ahead of the G7, and feels better about things).

Watching Jonah try to hit on Amy’s tacky older sister is like something from one of the more horrifying nature documentaries, especially because it appears to work.

She’s at the bar, ordering a glass of champagne, when Tom joins her.

She’d known he would.Somehow, she’d sensed it, that he’d come to her, at some point in the day.

“Selina,” he says, giving her a quiet little smile.“You look well.”

“Of course I do,” she says, wishing that the warmth in his voice actually _meant_ something.“How’s ‘Alicia,’ she enjoying DC?”

It’s a low blow.There have been rumours - ever since the election, certainly over the last few months - that all isn’t well in the White House boudoir, that the First Lady was both unprepared and unhappy in her new role.

She didn’t feel much - any - sympathy.You had to be a special kind of moron to sign up for life as a glorified smiling machine, and an even worst kind, to marry a fucking civilian when trying to reach the top office.They probably never even talked about it.

“She’s with her parents,” Tom says.“It’s been an adjustment.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Not everyone takes to these kinds of transitions as well as you do, Selina.”

He’s always so fucking smooth, it’s the best and worst thing about him. 

There’s a cheer, and they turn around to see Dan leading Amy to the floor for their first dance.(Selina is absolutely certain that Amy doesn’t have a clue what’s expected of her, and is clinging on to him in the hope that he won’t steer her into a pillar or something).

“Always knew we’d end up here someday,” Tom says.

“Really?”She raises a brow.“Because I thought 50-50 this or Amy shooting him in the White House parking lot.”

“Well - while I don’t know Dan as well as you, it seems like he’s…matured, well, at least enough."

“Yeah, maybe.”She drinks down her champagne.“Her entire face changes when she’s happy, Only time I ever saw her look like that was - well, never you mind.”

“Selina.”

“I’m still pissed at you for that, by the way.”

“Oh really?”

“I have - fine, I had some incompetent staffers back in the day, but you think for one second I’d let one of them go round _assaulting_ \- she came to work for me when she was still in college, Tom, she’s practically - and you let her think I’d dump her for that walking trash fire.”

“I did,” he says, and there’s something like regret in his voice. 

“That is _low_ , Tom, even for you.”

“Look,” he says, “I didn’t realise - at the time, I didn’t know that it had only _just_ happened.I wouldn’t have - I wouldn’t have gone so hard, if I’d known she was…distraught or whatever she was.”

“Well,” she says, “You got what you wanted.Congratulations.”

She’s barely taken a step away when he takes her hold of her wrist, saying, “Dance with me.For old time’s sake.”

She laughs then, she can’t help it.“I don’t think that’s the kind of press coverage of the wedding Dan was hoping for.”

“Come on,” he says, pulling her to the dance floor.“Time to bury the hatchet.”

And they just sway - standing closer than they should probably - Tom’s hand warm in hers, his face close and kind and…

“You know,” she says, “You’re better at faking being an actual human person than any politician I know.Even I fall for it, and I _really_ ought to know better.”

He stops, staring down at her, and she gets that feeling again, like the rest of the room has fallen away, like they’re the only two people left.With Andrew - with Jaffar - with everyone else she was always…busy, always filling the silence with laughter, with sex, with every other fucking thing, but… 

With Tom, there’s this space that doesn’t _need_ filling, that’s just them.She can be still.

It’s probably a good thing that they’re interrupted by Jonah’s obscene attempt at a toast.

Little more than an hour later, she gathers her things and makes for the exit - she has to be awake at an _obscene_ hour to catch her flight, and there’s one brief that she wants to at least…pretend she’s going to read.

She’s making her way out of the hotel when she hears footsteps behind her. 

It’s Amy, her hair starting to fall out of its careful style, her dress wrinkled now, her phone clutched in one hand.

“Ma’am,” she says, and goes to walk Selina out.“I just wanted to say…thank you, for everything.And today - I know wedding’s aren’t really your thing.”

“You look happy, Ame.”Selina says.“That’s worth something.”

“Yeah,” Amy says, “At least until the next fuck-up.”

The Presidential motorcade is outside the hotel, and Amy looks at her significantly.“I know it’s not my place to say any more, ma’am, but…you should be careful.”

“Thank you, Amy,” she says severely, and then…unable to keep it up any more, “You should come out to the house some weekend - we can ‘do’ lunch or whatever.”

“I’d like that, ma’am.”

“Goodnight.”

When Tom opens the door of his car for her, she gets in, though she can see Amy, looking worried, checking her phone, reflected in the window.

A ride home is a ride home.

They’re silent, for a long moment, waiting for the privacy screen to go up, waiting for something to settle between them, and then she does what she’s always wanted to do, what she was always going to do, and kisses him.

It’s a mess and it’s ludicrous and she can feel Tom wanting to get on top, wanting to push her into the seats, and…

When the limo jolts at a red light, they both realise they have to stop, though the way Tom’s hands keep grabbing her, keep moving up and down her body, she knows he doesn’t want to.

“Listen,” he says, his voice hoarse.“I’m going to drive you home, and that’s it.”

“Right.”There’s the crushing disappointment.Andrew, Charlie, even Jaffar, they always chased her, _she_ had to get rid of _them_ , but…

“No, _listen_ ,” he says, and his hands are hard on her.“I won’t be President forever.And after the next election, win or lose, things are going to change.That’s agreed - it’s arranged.”

“Once you’re a lame duck, a divorce isn’t so terrible, huh?”

“Something like that,” he says, “It’s not been easy, but until then -”

She laughs then, because it feels too ridiculous.“Are you asking me to wait for you?”

“No, Selina, jesus, I - that wouldn’t be fair on you, I know that -”

“Man the fuck up Tom.Stop pretending to be the only honest man in Washington, and say what you actually _want_.For once. At least I manage to tell you the truth from time-to-time, even if only by accident.”

“I want to call you.”He sounds angry, the way he always does when she’s tricked him into showing his feelings.“That’s all I have right now - but someday… there will be more.”

“Well…okay then.”It’s all so adult and serious and not at all what she’s used to.

“And by the way… love your shoes.”

She rolls her eyes at him.“I already said you can call me.I wouldn’t want you to get lonely.That’s what leads to a nuclear strike or a stroke, and with Jonah as VP - ”

“Don’t remind me.”

He doesn’t kiss her goodbye when he drops her off, but he does wait until she’s closed her door to signal the motorcade.

She showers, and calls her assistant to check in on any last minute itinerary changes, and ignores the thousands of social media notifications on her phone (everyone loves weddings, apparently), and makes herself tea to have before bed.

And then the next day she flies to Cape Town, argues with a couple of hundred diplomats and pretends to enjoy a tour of Robben Island, and when she gets back to her hotel, at close to midnight, she only has one question.

“Did the President call?”

“Yes, ma’am, he did.”


End file.
